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You wouldn't want to see KISS then.

I saw KISS at Darien Lake this summer, and they use a gigantic jumbo-tron behind the band. It's hard to tell which effects are on the jumbo-tron and which are real! Both the stage right and stage left are a series of huge plasma or LCD screens to put the fake amp stacks up on along with other things. There is no attempt to "fool" anybody into thinking there are real amps there. Fantastic show, by the way. Gene commands the stage as well now as he did when I first saw them in 1977 or 79. They went for 2 hours and 15 minutes nonstop!
Look, it's all about the artist and the show and the music. Who cares what it takes to get there?
Get over it already!

I use a band frequently who does the same thing; they do mostly 70's music. One cab in each stack is real and miced, and of course it does sound better and it doesn't deafen the musicians. I think it's great. Makes all the sense, particularly from a sonic standpoint.

That's not that uncommon at all to have a stack of fake or unused amps on stage. Many times the real amp is a small combo backstage or an amp in a isolation cabinet. There may even be no amps at all, the guitar is plugged into a full processor pedal and just goes straight into the PA. Set up correctly it can sound like the real thing. The more controlled the sound is on stage from amps, monitors and anything else that makes noise the better the live mix will be in the PA, provided the PA system is good and the operator has a clue!!!

Big amps? Years ago yes!

Back in my early band days you brought you own amps big to the gig. Then we had separate system for vocals.The quality quality of the house system(if any) was usually bad.

Today they have BIG sound systems and everything goes to the house system, and need for big amps on stage is reduced. But this does not look good, that tiny amp???
Most use a wireless guitar transmitter and we don't have any idea where the receiver is.

So you want to impress the audience, and you don't want to lug BIG heavy amps that your not going to use anyway? Get fake amp fronts!!!
Also many are using in ear wireless monitoring systems, so big monitors are not even needed.
With my band everything goes through the main system, the drummer has electronic drums I give him a monitor with a D140F so he can feel the kick drum. I use a small bass amp for my monitor which is direct into the system. The guitar player uses a small amp that I mic, the keyboard is direct into the system.
I guess we could get a painted backdrop that has a lot of amps on it?